Team USA University Games Announced

Mar 10, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Creighton Bluejays forward Doug McDermott (3) brings the ball up the court against the Wichita State Shockers during the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament at Scottrade Center. Mandatory Credit: Paul Halfacre-USA TODAY Sports

The roster for team USA’s entry in the World University Games has been released today. It was expected to be out on July 1st but it seems like the coaches have already made their decision and opted to announce it to the public a few days early. The official announcement was made on USA Basketball’s website.

The team will be headlined by Doug McDermott, the high scoring forward out of Creighton. McDermott is going in to his senior year and will likely do all he can to try and up his stock in the NBA draft. He is a skilled player who is comfortable both going down low and taking his man off the dribble. He is especially effective catching and shooting the ball in the mid range and provides a great way to spread the defense thin for others to operate.

A happy inclusion on the team is Luke Hancock, the Louisville forward who caught fire and carried his Cardinals to a tournament victory last year. Hancock’s father only recently passed away after a battle with cancer and Hancock was unable to be there because he was attending camp for the University Games. His making the team will give the family something to cheer for in a somber time and will also allow Hancock an outlet in what most be a difficult time in his life.

The USA’s first game will be against the United Arab Emirates on July 7th. This will start their attempt to improve upon their 5th place finish back in 2011. The winners back in 2011 was Serbia who defeated Canada in the Gold medal game.